00:15

Ai Weiwei

Guardian

€ 650

Edition of 1601

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Self-satire meets storied symbolism in a sparkling silkscreen print by Ai Weiwei.

In Chinese tradition, a Door God is placed at an entrance or threshold to protect those inside from harm. By casting himself as this totemic figure, Weiwei acknowledges his standing in global consciousness, draws parallels with his life as an artist, and attempts to resolve the two.

Familiar motifs nod to the negative influences that Weiwei, in divine form, might ward off – from censorship and propaganda to corruption and surveillance. Red, meanwhile, promises good fortune for the year ahead.

To create the edition, printers at Make-Ready developed a new technique designed to echo a ceramic tile or cast concrete in silkscreen form. Bespoke gold ink ‘overloaded’ with metallic pigment and glitter is applied to the paper as a solid layer, then veiled by a layer of vibrant red to reveal an intricate illustration in negative space.

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Behind the scenes

01:14
00:51

Ai Weiwei

10 collaborations

Ai Weiwei is unafraid to speak truth to power. He’s one of the most famous living artists today – a testament to the breadth and vision of his practice. Effortlessly, he moves between different media, from sculpture and architecture to performance and documentary film. His work is often monumental in scale and is driven by a hunger for truth and justice. In 2008, for example, Ai spent many months collecting the names of over 5000 children who lost their lives in the Sichuan earthquake. This unflinching dedication to human rights saw him detained by the Chinese government for 81 days in 2011, accused of ‘subverting the state.’

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Reviews from Avant collectors

The highest quality and most innovative print I've ever seen. Amazing!
Review of Portrait of Francis Bacon
It was beautifully packaged and was a joy to unbox. The piece itself is stunning, especially for the price.
Review of Descendent - Lucid Dreamer
the presentation when I received this was everything and perfect. First time purchasing from AA but very impressed with all the attention to detail from the glove placement to packaging.
Review of Guardian
strong work from all team members - i look forward to the next purchase!
Review of Untitled [Man in Car with Shed]
Since it was from overseas, I was worried about whether the product would arrive without damage, but it was carefully packaged and arrived without any damage. Thank you very much. And I am satisfied with the work.
Review of Sacred Connectedness
It was all beautiful 10/10 🤍
Review of Actual Size
Fantastic packaging and very good service so Happy.
Review of Out of the Dark
it was an absolute pleasure making the purchase Avant Art. Communication was great and the print arrived as specified. i would definitely recommend your company.
Review of Actual Size

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